Fulham have been complacent, claims Magath

Saturday 15 March 2014

Fulham manager Felix Magath has accused his players of being complacent over their Premier League survival chances this season, BBC Sport is reporting.

The Cottagers are deep in trouble with just nine games to go, lying bottom of the table and four points from safety. They have also conceded the most goals in the Premier League, and have the worst goal difference.

And ahead of his side’s meeting with eighth-placed Newcastle United in a crucial Craven Cottage fixture on Saturday, Magath - who is Fulham’s third boss this season - claimed that the squad have been unaware of their league position for most of the campaign.

He said: "The whole season they haven't realised that they are at the bottom of the table. Now they realise it's a relegation fight. It's an extraordinary situation. We have to stick together and fight."

Since arriving in the middle of February, Magath has repeatedly insisted that Fulham would stay up, but on Friday he questioned the attitude of the players, adding: "At the beginning of the season nobody thought about a relegation fight.

"The team was not built for a fight against relegation. We have to work with the players, to talk with them. The players tell me 'oh, we have 12 games left [after Magath's appointment], we have an easy schedule, we are able to manage this'.

"I think they were tempted by the situation that they are too secure. They don't say they are quite relaxed, but they say 'oh, we have 12 games, games are not so difficult'."

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